Eli Manning likely to start against Eagles as Daniel Jones battles ankle injury

The Eli Manning era is not over just yet for the New York Giants.

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters on Wednesday that rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has an ankle injury and has been wearing a walking boot. Because of the injury, Shurmur says it is “very likely” that Manning will start against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

#Giants coach Pat Shurmur tells reporters that QB Daniel Jones is in a walking boot with a mild high-ankle sprain… and Eli Manning will “very likely” start on Monday. So, Manning gets a potential farewell tour, after all.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 4, 2019

High-ankle sprains usually take around a month or more to fully heal, so it’s possible that Manning could be New York’s starter for the remainder of the season.

Jones has played well for the Giants given the circumstances, and Shurmur made it clear early on that the former Duke star was not going to be benched for Manning for any performance-based reason. However, Manning has been the Giants’ primary backup since Jones took his job, and he has always known he could potentially play again if the rookie struggled or suffered an injury.

This could very well be Manning’s last season in New York, so Giants fans have an opportunity to give him a proper send-off now that he will be back under center. Manning will turn 39 in January and could try to play somewhere else next year, but that seems unlikely given some of the reports we have heard.